A ROOFING contractor is facing a £23m claim over a catastrophic fire that devastated a West Midlands factory.

Central Roofing Ltd, based on David Street on the Bridgend Industrial Estate, faces the action after fire tore through Mueller Europe’s copper tubing factory in Bilston in 2008.

It’s claimed the blaze was sparked by gas heaters igniting a scaffolding deck put up to replace a roof containing asbestos.

Mueller’s claim for £23m damages, includes just under £10m for reinstating the factory, the £8m cost of new equipment and a business interruption claim of around £5m.

After a preliminary hearing at London’s High Court, judge Mr Justice Coulson said it is Mueller’s case that Central Roofing failed to identify the gas heaters as a fire hazard or to isolate them.

The Bridgend firm faces claims that the scaffold deck was less than a metre away from the heaters and that a fire was “all but inevitable”.

However Central Roofing is contesting the claim, also raising “a number of issues by way of contributory negligence”, said the judge.

Reports suggest Central Roofing did the work from an elevated ‘birdcage scaffolding deck’ suspended from the roof, alongside the gas-fuelled heaters.

Mueller claims Central Roofing failed to take proper precautions to ensure the heaters were not on inside the birdcage, despite prior warnings. It says contrary to the written and implied terms of a contract, Central failed to request that the heaters were turned off.

At the time of the fire, on November 9, it’s suggested two of the gas heaters were inside the birdcage.

According to the claim the fire started in the birdcage and was caused by radiant heat from the gas heater igniting the deck.

As a result of the fire, reports suggest 465 sq metres of roof and steel collapsed and asbestos contaminated the entire factory.

The intense heat of the fire had weakened the steel structure, having first burned through the asbestos roof cladding.

In total 100 tonnes of steel had to be replaced.

Mueller drafted in contractors to carry out repair works and partially resumed production four weeks later.

The area had been sealed off while cleaning teams used specialised breathing apparatus and protective gloves, goggles, hats and face masks, to avoid inhaling asbestos fibres.

Stocks of copper tubing contaminated in the fire were unusable, which meant the firm had to source new material to meet its commitments to clients.

Central Roofing is defending the claim, disputing its responsibility to isolate the heaters.

It says it did not obtain written confirmation to turn off the heaters and that it was not required to do so. It also denies that the fire started within the birdcage, arguing Mueller must prove the heaters were on.

Engineering firm Royal Haskoning was brought in after the blaze to re-build the part of the factory that was destroyed.

Project manager Peter Wood, who oversaw the rebuilding work, said: “It happened in the November and the factory was back up and running in the January, which was good for them [Mueller Europe].”

A trial of the dispute is due to start at the High Court on January 13. Both Mueller Europe and Central Roofing declined to comment.